Casing-perforator.



E. L. MILLS. oAsING PERroRAToR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1912.

Patented June 3, 1913.

. cLuMBlA PLANQQRAPH EDWARD L. MILLS, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALFORNIA.

CASINGr-PERFORATOR.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 3, 1913.

Application filed April 20, 1912. Serial No. 692,109.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD L. MILLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Casing-Perforators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for perforating the casing of wells and the like;

and the invention has for its prime object the provision of a simple and efficient mechanism whereby casing perforations may be easily and quickly made.

The fundamental novelty of my present invention consists in a peculiar mounting of the casing knife upon the body or bearing plate of the perforators. employ a pivot for this casing perforator or knife, which pivot is movable longitudinally, that is vertically, with respect to the stationary bearing plate. The knife or perforator member is pivoted on this same pivot; so that, when the point of the knife engages with the casing, the knife is not only turned about its pivot, but the pivot also moves longitudinally. The result of this peculiar motion is that the point of the knife is forced straight outwardly through the casing, .making a large perforation with ease.

In my preferred form of the present invention I use a longitudinally movable member mounted upon the bearing plate through the medium of suitable toggles. The knife pivot is directly mounted upon these longitudinally movable members and has a movement with reference thereto limited by a suitable stop. The whole construction, in its preferred form, is extremely simple and strong; it is not liable to become disabled wit-hin the well; and it is operated from the top of the hole with simplicity and accuracy.

l have shown the preferred form of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my device as it would appear in operation in a well. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same. .F ig. is an end view taken as indicated by line 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a section taken as indicated by line 1 -1 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings 10 designates a casing within which my perforator is operated. The perforator may be made of any suitable size to fit casing of any diameter; but l prefer to make the perforator of a certain minimum size and to then provide its bearing plate 11 with wooden or metal lagging (which may be secured by bolts through the holes 11a) and thus build it out to any required larger diameter. The bearing plate 11 is of some longitudinal vertical extent and is made in curved cross section so as to bear solidly against the interior of the casing at one side. Bearing plate 11 is proyvided with a yoke and link 12 and 13 at its upper end for attachment of a cable or any other suitable supporting device. By means of this cable the perforator may be lowered and raised in the casing and held at any desired point.

The bearing plate 11 carries suitable tabs or ears 15, preferably forged out of the same piece of material with plate 11. To these portions 15 there are attached four links 16 carrying at their outer end two vertical longitudinal plates 17 secured together in safe relation by suitable rivets 18 and stops 19 and 2G. These stops 19 and 20 perform various functions which I will hereinafter describe.

Mounted upon the longitudinal plates 17, which together become a longitudinally movable member, there is a knife pivot 25. Knife 2G is mounted upon this pivot and moves thereon with relation to the plates 17. Then the knife is in its position shown in dotted lines Fig. 1, then it engages with stop 20; when it .is in the position shown in whole lines in Fig. 1 it engages with stop 19. In this manner the movement of knife QG with relation to the plates 17 is limited; so that further movement of the knife will cause the movement of the plates and knife together. The knife 2G has a perfoi-ating point 26 and a cutting edge 26h. Its movement is accomplished through the medium of a suitable rod 27 having a yoke 28 on its lower end which pivotally connects with the inner end of the knife, as at 29. Yoke 2S has shoulders 30 which engage with the upper links 16 to prevent further upward movement of the rod 27 after the parts have reached the position shown in full lines their lowermost position, the pin 35 will move downwardly `against the lower 'lmks 1G and thus prevent further downward,

movement.

I will now `eX alain the oaerations of m A deviceq whence will be clear the reasons for and advantages of its peculiar `construction. Vhen the device is being lowered into ,the casing, the 4rod 27 Ais allowed to fall :so that fthe parts are in their dotted position, .the weight vof the whole device being borne bythe cable 40 attached to the link 13 -(parts shown -in Fig. l). IIavinglowered the perforator tothe point at which it is desired to begin operations, -the cable 40 is then securedstationarily, so as to hold bea-ring lplate -ll in la Stationary position. The rod 27 is then moved upward. This has the :partial efl'ect'of rotating the device 26 from -the position shown in dotted line in the -di- .rect-ion indicated by lthe arrow until the point 261-engages with the inner surface of `the casing. Further upward movement Vof the rod 27 will lthen cause the upward movement ofthe pivot 25, the perforating point 26 remaining stationaryon the casing. The parts are then gradually moved Vtoward the position shown in full lines in Fig. l, the ipoint 26a bei-ng lforced directly outwardly through the casing. The cutting edge 261 fellows the po-int 26a through the casing, making .a long vertical slit or perforation through the casing. This form of slit is :much desired, as it makes an opening -of maximum area with a minimum weakening of the cross section ofthe casing. VVhen-the perforation has been completely formed, the rod 27 lis lowered andthe whole device restored to the position indicated in dotted lines. The perforator may then be rotated er raised and the operation repeated as many times as desired.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the gist of my invention consists in my own mounting'of the perforating knife upon the stationary portions of the mechanism. Vith my combination `of rotary movement of the knife and of straight movement of its point through the casing I am enabled to perforate the heaviest well pipe with a greatly lesser pull upward on ythe rod 27 than has heretofore been possible in any form of device. And -it is this peculiar feature of my in.- vention that I wish to claim most broadly, believing that the minor features may be altered without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A casing perforator, comprising an upright lateral bearing plate, a pivot spaced also causing movement of the pivot and said member when the `knife engages a casing. Y

A3. A casing perforator, comprising an upright lateral bearing plate, a member supported on the plate and freely movable vertically with relation thereto, a casing perforatingknife pivoted on lsaid member and .having a casing engaging point capable of being projected beyond said member, and

means directly connected to the knife to' `move it about its pivot, whereby .the pivot and said vmember are moved longitudinally when the knife point-engages a casing.

4t. A casing perforator, `comprising a lateral bearing plait-e, transverse links pivoted at one end to said plate, a longitudinally 4movable -member carried on the other ends of the links, and a casingj-perforating knife .pivoted to said member. Y

-5. A casing perfforator, comprising va lateral bearing plate, -transverse links pivoted at one end vto lsaid plate, a `longitudinally movable member carried on the other ends of the links, a casing ,perforating knife pivo'ted to said member, and stops `on said mem- -ber engageable by said knife.

6. `A casing perforator, comprising a lateral bearing plate extending vertically, a vertical member attached |to the plate to move vertically, a casing per-forating knife pivoted 'to said member, and means independent of each other for supporting the bearing plate and `for moving the knife.

7. Acasing .perforaton comprising a lateral bearing plate, a member spaced from and ymovable vertically with relation to the bearing plate, la casing perforating knife pivoted to the said member, stops limiting t-he movement of the knife on said member, and means independent of each other for supporting the `bearing plate and for moving the knife.

8. A casing perforator, comprising a stationary bearing plate, a pivot spaced from and vertically movable with respect to said bearing plate, a casing perforating knife pivoted on said .pi-vot, and means for rotating the knife abo-ut its pivot to move the pivot vertically when the knife engages a casing.

9. A casing 'perforaton comprising a lateral bearing plate, a pivot spaced from and movable vertically with respect to said lathave hereunto subscribed my name this 10th eral bearing plate, a casing perforating day of April, 1912. knife pivoted on said pvot, and means in dependent of each other for supporting the E' L' MILLS' 5 bearing plate and for moving' the casing Witnesses:

perforating knife. G. H. MELLARD,

In Witnness that I claim the foregoing I ELWooD I-I. BARKELEW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

